I bet this has been asked a 1000 times before...

[Rincon]

I have a pack of "Really useful Box" boxes from B&Q. They have a clip on lid but I would doubt are very airtight. Anyone used these for grains? would you recommend them?

Im no expert but I wouldnt. I have some of those boxes and you can smell plastic, my fear would be that the smell would leak into the grain.

I'm not sure plastic tasting beer would be all that great haha

Pretty sure you could pick up some large, food grade plastic containers?

From reading this thread I think I'll be buying little and often unless I could plan a few brews close together.

Id also be interested in getting a few mates to brew at the same time as me so we could bulk buy and split it between us

 

[GerritT]

I have a pack of "Really useful Box" boxes from B&Q. They have a clip on lid but I would doubt are very airtight. Anyone used these for grains? would you recommend them?

Sometimes 5 kg malt is sold in foodgrade containers, see pic. 25 Liter foodgrade buckets with lid for £10.

Or info here: http://homebrewacademy.com/storing-bulk-homebrew-ingredients-home/

 

[johnnyboy1965]

I think it's pretty much been proven that freezing any organic matter inhibits deterioration. The only issue is what happens at defrost. Doesn't appear from the anecdotal evidence that it has a negative effect.

Oh...and it has been proven. Yeah forgot that.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...Y4ChAWCDgwBQ&usg=AOvVaw2sZtC5M6GgAvHejs2iMewt

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

Just had a quick read of the paper submitted, and I will agree to a certain extent. But, I have concerns:-
Its one persons research....
Why would a HBer keep hops for 3 months in their freezer, when you can get next day delivery
The hop growers dont freeze them. The HB suppliers dont freeze them.
And then we are led to believe, its best to freeze them.
So the hops can be anything up to 12 months old, but its OK you can freeze them?

 

[Sadfield]

Just had a quick read of the paper submitted, and I will agree to a certain extent. But, I have concerns:-
Its one persons research....
Why would a HBer keep hops for 3 months in their freezer, when you can get next day delivery
The hop growers dont freeze them. The HB suppliers dont freeze them.
And then we are led to believe, its best to freeze them.
So the hops can be anything up to 12 months old, but its OK you can freeze them?

The reason why hop suppliers and growers don't freeze them is one big reason, cost. So they store them at near to freezing as financially viable.

From Barth Haas a global hop supplier.

From YCH hops website.

HOW SHOULD I STORE MY HOPS AND HOW LONG WILL MY HOPS STAY FRESH?
Hops should be stored in a refrigerated environment void of oxygen and light. When properly stored and sealed, hop products typically have a "best use" date of three years. The major exception being full size, whole-leaf hop bales (18 months). It is important to note that "best use" dates are not expiration dates; hops can, and often do, retain their brewing values for longer periods of time.

Guidelines from the World Food Logistics Alliance

So, if I buy 2016 season hops 'fresh' from a hop supplier in November 2017 that have been stored above 0C are they fresher than ones bought in January 2017 that have been self stored below 0C?

 

[johnnyboy1965]

The reason why hop suppliers and growers don't freeze them is one big reason, cost. So they store them at near to freezing as financially viable.

From Barth Haas a global hop supplier.

Guidelines from theWorld Food Logistics Alliance

So, if I buy 2016 season hops 'fresh' from a hop supplier in November 2017 that have been stored above 0C are they fresher than ones bought in January 2017 that have been self stored below 0C?

All very interesting, but can you name one hop supplier in the UK that freezes thier hops for delivery to the consumer.
I must tell every HB supplier that I use, that the hops that I have orderd must be frozen

 

[johnnyboy1965]

A hop as never seen a freezer in its life, but when we recieve it we have to freeze them???

 

[dad_of_jon]

Im no expert but I wouldnt. I have some of those boxes and you can smell plastic, my fear would be that the smell would leak into the grain.

I'm not sure plastic tasting beer would be all that great haha

Pretty sure you could pick up some large, food grade plastic containers?

From reading this thread I think I'll be buying little and often unless I could plan a few brews close together.

Id also be interested in getting a few mates to brew at the same time as me so we could bulk buy and split it between us

nothing wrong with little and often apart from missing out on free postage but balance that against supplies going off.

I buy crushed grain in 250g & 500g sealed packs, I use the lot in one go am I really going to notice the difference between 450g and 500g or 230g vs 250g, same for hops I buy in 50g or 100g I never use 34g for 45mins and 6g for 20mins. Thing is the AA can vary from batch to batch and the properties as it is a natural crop so as long as the recipe is thereabouts I round up or down to the amount grains & hops are packaged in.

That keeps it simple for me.

 

[Sadfield]

Christ on a bike @johnnyboy1965. Hops don't get delivered frozen, because most couriers don't have the facility to deliver frozen hops and it would be too expensive, especially for 100g packs to homebrewers. Most homebrew suppliers don't freeze them as installing and running walk-in freezers to store a years supply is not financially viable. Most wholesale hop merchants don't freeze them as they would need a freezer the size of an aircraft hanger to store a whole years harvest. They would if they could. The upside of using small quantities of hops in a domestic environment is that we also have access to domestic refrigeration.

Freezing Baled Hops
Baled hops are not damaged by freezing, and freezing actually improves storage stability. The only deterrent for this type of storage is the cost.

This quote was taken from the Guidelines from the World Food Logistics Alliance I posted. the footnote to this reads "WFLO is indebted to David W. Hysert of John I. Haas, Inc., Yakima, Washington, and Dr. Stephen Neel, World Food Logistics Organization, for the review and revision of this topic." John I. Haas, Inc is part of the Barth-haas group a world leader in hops, and I'll stick my neck out and say that it is pretty credible information.

 

[GerritT]

Just had a quick read of the paper submitted, and I will agree to a certain extent. But, I have concerns:-
Its one persons research....
Why would a HBer keep hops for 3 months in their freezer, when you can get next day delivery
The hop growers dont freeze them. The HB suppliers dont freeze them.
And then we are led to believe, its best to freeze them.
So the hops can be anything up to 12 months old, but its OK you can freeze them?

Because I buy hops per 100 grams, and have batches of 4 liter.

 

[Sadfield]

Or, when you can buy a kilo of Citra for �£34 knowing it'll be fine, vacuum packed in the freezer, for years. When it usually isn't available or £5.50 for 100g.

 

[Slid]

A hop as never seen a freezer in its life, but when we recieve it we have to freeze them???

I think the advice is to put them in the freezer once opened, and in the airless container they came in, resealed to some degree. The whole point being to exclude as much oxygen as possible.

That is my interpretation, anyway.

The last time Shaun at the HBC had a hop clear out, I bought about 17 x 100g of 2015-ish hops, but these are all just in the garage until opening time. As the hops I use are mainly English sort of hops, I have no doubt that they will be fine. I was possibly slightly "merry" at the point of ordering, but such is the under-current of a Forum like this, after all.

There is a lot to be said for ordering stuff for between 1-3 brews at a time, but that is not my preference, as I like to waste time jogging around and contemplating my next beer(s).